


The Good in You

by aeternamente



Series: Time and Space [11]
Category: Nothing Much to Do
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-21
Updated: 2014-11-21
Packaged: 2018-02-26 12:59:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2652845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aeternamente/pseuds/aeternamente
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It made him feel like one of those pathetic people who didn’t have a life outside his relationship with his boyfriend, but Balthazar’s presence was really the only reason Pedro had considered this party even remotely worth going to, and he wasn't here.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Good in You

**Author's Note:**

> This is the final part of the Time and Space series, by far my most successful attempt at writing anything resembling a multi-chapter fic (over 10,000 words! what?). Thank you all for reading! It's been a pleasure writing this! I <3 you all!

Pedro was not the kind of guy who sulked in the corner at parties. If anything, he was the guy who made sure no one sulked in the corner at parties. That’s how he met Balthazar, at his eleventh birthday. He’d invited everyone in his year, and Balthy was new. Pedro had seen him around, this small, spiky-haired kid who never seemed to be really looking at what was in front of him. And there he was, sitting in a corner, staring around the room, but seeming to be somewhere else inside his head.

_"Hey, I know you!—oh, don’t tell me. Not Stanley, that’s the name you don’t go by—"_

_"Balthazar."_  He’d given that shy little smile.

_"I told you not to tell me!"_

_"You weren’t going to remember."_

_"Maybe not, but I like Balthazar. It’s a good name."_

_"Yeah, I like it."_

_"Heard your mum gave Mr. Montague a talking-to about what to call you. I don’t get why he was being so weird about it all. I mean, what’s in a name, right?"_

Balthazar frowned.  _"A lot’s in a name."_

Pedro would later come to learn that this was a bit of a touchy subject. Even then, he sensed his new friend’s discomfort and quickly changed tactics.

_"Hey so… we were all gonna play truth or dare. Wanna join?"_

_"Oh… uhh… I don’t… really know anyone…"_

_"Well, I’m Pedro Donaldson, so now you know me. And I know everyone else here, and they’re good sorts. C’mon, it’ll be fun."_

Balthazar looked at Pedro then. Really looked at him. Sized him up and seemed to come to a conclusion.

_"Yeah, all right."_

Yeah, Pedro had always been the one in the center of things. Balthazar kept to the edges. That always seemed to be what best fit their personalities, but somehow their roles had reversed since then. Everyone loved Balthazar now. And for good reason, of course, Balthazar was brilliant. And Pedro couldn’t be happier to know that people were really starting to recognize that. But Pedro had noticed that people only seemed to want him around when Balthazar was there too.

This was a terrible thing for Pedro to sulk about. Add that to the list of things that made him feel guilty.

But he was a guy who was used to being liked, used to people feeling comfortable around him, and now there was just this distance, this unease in all of his interactions with people. He understood that this would just take time. He’d apologized, he was trying to do better, but people would accept that in their own time, if they wanted.

He was pretty sure Beatrice would never want to. The two of them had been tasked with getting the desserts together when they’d invited the Dukes over for dinner—a transparent ploy to put them on the fast track back to friendship land.

_"It’s not going to work,"_  Beatrice said bluntly.  _"Forcing us to put pie and ice cream on plates together isn’t going to fix anything."_

_"Bea, I’m really—"_

_"I know you’re sorry. But I’m just not good at forgiving like Hero is. I just can’t see you the same way anymore. After everything… you’re not who I thought you were—you’re like a different person."_

Apart from apologizing again, there was really nothing he could say to that.

_"Here, let’s just bring these in before the ice cream melts."_

He  _told_  his parents he just didn’t want to go to this impromptu party… thing… whatever it was, but they were bent on getting the reconciliation train rolling, as if that were something they had any control over.

Balthazar still wasn’t here. Pedro had hoped to see him when he got here, but instead there was a text he’d missed while driving over with John:

_Hey, I’m gonna be late. Mum needs emergency computer help on a project that has to be finished by tonight. Be there soon._

It made him feel like one of those pathetic people who didn’t have a life outside his relationship with his boyfriend, but Balthazar’s presence was really the only reason he’d considered this party even remotely worth going to. He started to wonder if it might be a better idea to duck out and just head over to Balthy’s, even if it was just to sit around while he helped his mum. It would at least be less awkward than this…

"All right, Mr. Sulky-Face, you’re coming with me."

He found himself being dragged upstairs by Benedick. He didn’t want to be dragged anywhere by anyone, but something in the cheerfully determined tone of Ben’s voice made Pedro even more suspicious…

…and when he saw the camera set up in Hero’s room, his suspicions were confirmed.

* * *

It’s Ursula who opens the door and ushers you in.

"Have I missed anything important?" you ask.

"Oh, you know, music and awkwardness. Also cake."

"Well, as long as there’s  _cake_ …”

The two of you share a smirk.

"Kinda weird to see you without your camera at one of these things," you observe.

"Yeah," Ursula agrees, "but it’s also kinda nice, you know? Just being around everyone without having to worry about how they look in the frame."

"Yeah, I can see that."

"By the way, you might want to find Pedro. I’m not sure where he disappeared to, but last time I saw him, he was looking pretty mopey."

You nod and start making your way around the ground floor. And indeed, Pedro doesn’t seem to be anywhere in sight.

You’re going to have to get used to not being able to slip around a crowded room without being noticed. Those videos of Ben and Bea singing love songs to each other have gone the Messina High version of viral (and even a bit of the traditional version of viral as well). Everyone has seen you strumming at your ukulele and smirking at Ben and Bea’s cheesy lyrics. You’re a bit of a celebrity now, hailed as the mastermind of something that was really more of a weirdly convenient fluke.

But your recent surge in popularity has had its advantages. At the encouragement of several people (Pedro first and foremost among them), you’ve rented a space to put on a bit of a concert. Pedro’s taken on most of the organizational end of it, claiming he needs a project, something he cares about that’s not going to blow up in his face. He’s been brilliant. There’s no way you could have done all of it half as well as he does.

But it is your job to do some good PR (Pedro thinks people will react more positively to you than to him at the moment), so you swallow your instinct to shy away from social interactions. You smile and return people’s greetings and answer questions about tomorrow’s concert, and try not to dwell on it too much when your words come out awkwardly (as they often do).

You meet Beatrice near the bottom of the stairs. She grins at you. “Balthy! So glad you can make it! Do you need anything? Cake? Something to drink?”

"Nah, I’m good, thanks. Have you seen Pedro?"

Bea’s lips tighten. “No, I haven’t. Not lately.”

"Oh… well maybe he’s upstairs…"

You pass her and begin to ascend the staircase.

"Balthazar…" she calls after you. You turn.

She looks hesitant, unsure of how to proceed. “I just… after everything, how can you forgive him?” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “I don’t mean it like that, I just… like I honestly just want to know.”

You take a moment to consider. At length, you respond, “We’ve just talked a lot, and… and I can see the good in him. He’s really trying, you know?”

Bea’s frowning, but she gives a slow nod of the head. “So you think I should give him another chance.”

You shrug. “That’s up to you.”

You leave Beatrice to her thoughts and scale the rest of the stairs. Most of the doors are slightly ajar, opening to darkened rooms beyond, but the door to Hero’s room is closed and as you approach it, you can hear voices from inside the room.

You open the door.

"Balthazar!" It’s Ben’s voice, not Pedro’s that greets you as you enter. Ben and Pedro are sitting on Hero’s bed, and Pedro stands immediately upon seeing you. He starts toward you just a fraction of an inch, but stops himself as you make your apologies for being late and ask if he’s okay. You think maybe he was about to hug or kiss you in greeting, but was deterred by Ben’s presence and the fact that your relationship is not yet public knowledge.

"You all right?" you ask him quietly as Ben keeps talking about… something. You’re not really listening.

Pedro gives a small, tight smile. “Yeah.”

"Yeah?" You’d say more, but now Ben’s got you by the arm and is physically leading you to the place on the bed where he’s decided you should sit—right in front of the camera that you’re just now noticing is there. He invites Pedro to sit as well. Pedro seems to take a moment to absorb the request, then blinks and takes a seat next to you.

"Now we’re all sitting comfortably," Ben says with a nervous smile. You’re picking up on a general sense of awkwardness in the room.

"Um, so what were you guys up to?" you ask.

Ben stutters through a nervous non-explanation that makes you wonder if they were talking about something having to do with you. You look to Pedro for an explanation, who seems to be torn between agitation and amusement.

"Ben here was trying to set me up with a girlfriend," he explains, cutting Ben off.

"Ah, yeah, yeah." You nod.Things are starting to make sense. "Or a boyfriend," you add.

"Or a boyfriend," Pedro agrees.

That’s one thing Pedro has talked to you about recently, that he wants to start being more open about his sexuality. And you know from experience that Ben is a safe person to come out to, so… yeah, we’ll see where this goes.

"Actually do you have any suggestions?" Pedro asks.

"Well who have you covered so far?"

"No guys as of yet."

Ben is still protesting, and you realize it’s probably because he’s concerned about hurting your feelings (as someone with a known crush on Pedro), which is nice of him, but completely unnecessary. Also beside the point. (Can’t he see you’re trying to out your boyfriend here?)

"So what about Tony?"

As you run through the possibilities, you force yourself not to look back at Ben, who has suddenly gone quiet. He’s probably starting to catch on. You’re trying to suppress your amusement, and probably failing. Of the two of you, Pedro’s the better actor. Around the time you’re talking about Ben Volio (who is dismissed because he’s too wrapped up in that whole theatre nerds vs. band geeks feud), you sneak a look back at Ben (Hobbes), who catches your eye, smiles, and raises a conspiratorial eyebrow.

Yeah, you’re pretty sure he’s finally caught on.

"Well, that’s all I’ve got," you conclude.

"Yeah, no idea at all," Ben says in exaggerated tones. He may be a worse actor than you are. "Who could we possibly pic—?"

He is interrupted by the arrival of John, who has come to seek refuge from Dogberry and Verges (you’ve made a point of learning their names—or rather the names they go by, which in a way are even more important—since everyone else seems intent on calling them “Ursula’s year-nines”), who have apparently been following John around.

Pedro invites him to have a seat, so now everyone has to slide over on the bed. Ben crawls back a bit to avoid Hero’s bedside table, causing you to slide forward to avoid siting in Ben’s lap (he’s great, but his is not the lap you’d like to be sitting in right now). Pedro moves over close enough that his leg is now flush with yours.

You’re in the process accustoming yourself to the sensation caused by this contact, when Pedro casually brings his hand down to rest on your knee, which sets off a sympathetic vibration in your stomach.

The way he can do things like that without any perceivable change in expression is astounding to you. Meanwhile you’re left trying to keep a straight face.

Then being amused at your mind’s choice of words, because there’s really nothing straight about you.

Or Pedro.

This line of thought is not helping.

And it’s not helping to try to focus back on the conversation, because now Ben is inducting John into “Team Love Gods, Part II” and explaining its mission of setting Pedro up with someone in a way that implies very heavily that he has a very specific idea of who he wants to set Pedro up with.

You. He wants to set Pedro up with you.

It’s even funnier because John already knows about you and Pedro (after he visited Pedro’s room at an ill-timed moment about a week ago).

John is about to suggest someone, when Pedro (who has been starting to get agitated again) interrupts him.

"Ah—wh—ah—mm—no. It’s—it’s not something that… we’ve talked about. Ever."

_Literally everyone in this room wants us to be together, Pedro. It’s not that big a deal._

But John agrees to Pedro’s implied terms and refrains from suggesting anyone.

"Mmm, not to worry," Ben says theatrically, "it’s a  _total mystery_.”

"Yeah."

What would happen if you just said,  _"Nope, not a mystery at all_ _,”_  and just kissed Pedro? Okay, you’re not gonna do that—Pedro might have his own reasons for being cagey right now, since like he said, you haven’t talked about telling people, but the thought does put a smile on your face that makes you glad you’re sitting so far forward (easier to hide from the others). _  
_

"Oh, John," Ben continues, "you’ve barricaded the door." You look to confirm. He’s put a chair in front of it. Hardly a barricade, but whatever. "Very well done. Well, Pedro, I guess there’s no choice but to  _keep you here_  until we have an answer.”

"Okay!" Pedro gives in. The air feels like it’s buzzing. You don’t look back, not yet. "Balthazar…"

You arrange your face into a neutral expression before turning to face him. “Mm-hmm?”

"D’you wanna… go outside with me?"

"Yeah—yeah, sure."

* * *

Pedro was relieved to finally escape that room, and he’d be even more relieved once he made it outside, where he could (hopefully) have a moment alone with Balthazar.

"Hey, Pedro! Um… can we talk?"

Pedro closed his eyes for a moment at the sound of Beatrice’s voice. But he knew he couldn’t ignore her if she actually  _wanted_  to talk to him. He shot an apologetic glance toward Balthazar, who nodded his understanding.

"I’ll just be downstairs, okay?" he said. And as he slipped past Pedro toward the staircase, Balthazar brushed his fingers over Pedro’s hand—a small, but much-needed encouragement.

Pedro watched Balthazar descend the stairs, then turned back to Beatrice, who was raising an eyebrow at him.

"So what’s this then?" she asked, nodding toward the staircase in lieu of Balthazar.

Pedro swallowed the  _"Nothing"_  that was about to come out of his mouth automatically. He didn’t want to talk about their relationship if he hadn’t discussed it with Balthazar first (hence the vague “go outside with me” just moments earlier), but he also didn’t want to lie. “It’s… not something I can talk about right now,” he said instead.

Beatrice nodded uncertainly. Then she paused. Then it all spilled out. “Okay, look. I still don’t forgive you. Not completely. It’s like I told you earlier, I can’t just gloss over everything that happened, and I can’t pretend that everything’s the same when it’s not.”

"Bea, I don’t want you to—"

"Shush," she said, holding up a hand. Pedro shushed. "I can’t forgive you now, but I can at least entertain the possibility that I could in the future. So, I dunno. I guess I just… wanted you to know that…"

"So… am I on probation or something?"

Bea considered this for a second, then nodded. “Yes, you’re on probation.”

Pedro nodded, trying to figure out what to say that wouldn’t sound weird. “Thanks,” he said.

That still sounded weird.

It seemed the conversation was over, but Pedro still felt something missing, something that ought to be said.

Bea rolled her eyes. “Oh, go find your boyfriend—or whatever.”

Pedro nodded and started down the stairs, but then he thought of what to say.

"Bea?"

"Yeah?"

"Your friendship means a lot to me. I won’t screw it up this time."

She narrowed her eyes, but there was some of the old playfulness in her expression. “You’d better not.”

He continued down the rest of the stairs, and after wandering around for a bit, spotted Balthazar in the den, talking with Miranda. Probably something to do with his gig tomorrow. Pedro caught his eye and nodded toward the door, and gaining a small smile of acknowledgement, turned to go outside—

—only to run straight into Ursula’s year nines.

"Oh. Hello."

"Mr. Don—Pedro, I mean, are you aware of the whereabouts of your brother?"

"I dunno where he is," Pedro lied. He really wanted to get outside.

"We suspect that he has kidnapped—"

"—is it kidnapped if it’s a cat?"

"Cat-napped. No, that’s not it either—"

"—He has ensconced with Tibbles—"

"He didn’t steal your cat, okay?" Pedro said in frustration.

"Is that your testimonial? Write that down, Verges."

"…didn’t… steal… cat. You would swear to that in a court of order?"

"What?"

"Hey, Dogberry, Verges—what’s up?"

Balthazar had arrived so quietly at Pedro’s side, Pedro didn’t even notice him until he spoke up.

"We have been investigating the disapp—" one of them (what did Balthazar just call him? Dog-something?) began, only to be interrupted by a nudge from the other. "Yes, Verges?"

Verges whispered in his’s ear, with a pointed glance toward Pedro and Balthazar.

"Ah!" Dog-something said with an exaggerated raise of the eyebrows. "Very well. Our interpolation is done. You may go."

"…thanks?"

"See you later, guys."

They made it out the door (finally). Pedro breathed in the night air (warm and balmy, sweetened with the flowery scents from the Dukes’ garden), then breathed out in a sigh of relief. He stretched out his hand toward Balthazar, who took it in his own. Their fingers laced together in a way that was becoming habitual—comfortingly constant.

"So does everyone know about us?" Pedro asked as they began to walk away from the house in no particular direction.

Balthazar shrugged. “I think a lot of people suspect.”

Pedro hesitated. “And how do you feel about that?”

Balthazar looked up, and Pedro could see the starlight sparkling in his eyes, the corners of his mouth turning up in a contemplative smile. “Honestly? I think I’d be okay if the whole world knew.”

"You want the whole world to know you’re dating an actual piece of trash who betrayed all his friends?"

"An actual piece of trash?" Balthazar stopped and turned to face Pedro. "You’re dressed pretty nicely for an actual piece of trash." He ran a hand over the surface of Pedro’s sweater, and drew a little closer.

"I’m trying to have a serious conversation here," Pedro said, but he drew a little closer too.

"And I’m trying to—skip the serious conversation and go s-straight to the kissing." He was being too cute. The way he blushed and stumbled through his words, his eyes flickering up in silvery glints and glimmers… then as he finished speaking, he looked up at Pedro in earnest.

His smiling, expectant eyes were disturbingly persuasive. Pedro had no choice but to give in, wrapping his arms around Balthazar’s waist and closing the few inches of distance that remained.

It was still kind of amazing to him—all these different kinds of kisses he could share with Balthazar. After that first one, he was almost convinced that was all there could ever be, that one desperate, headlong disaster of a kiss. But now there were other kisses—kisses in their bedrooms, kisses in the rain, secret, stolen kisses in hidden corners of the school—and now this still, starlit kiss that was beginning to gain momentum. Balthazar’s hands caressed Pedro’s face and neck, and slid down to grab fistfuls of the front of Pedro’s sweater, and that’s when it occurred to Pedro that perhaps the Dukes’ backyard wasn’t the best place for… where this was beginning to lead.

He pulled back, but when Balthazar leaned in, he indulged in one last parting kiss. Okay, maybe two… three…

At length, they stood, touching foreheads. Pedro drew a hand up to Balthazar’s cheek, fingertips buried in his hair.

"You’re sure you’re okay with people knowing?" he asked. "Because I can tell Ben not to post that video…"

Balthazar blinked, then laughed. “I’d forgotten he was filming in there, to be honest,” he said. “But yeah, nah, that’s fine.”

"Okay, if you’re sure."

"Yeah, I’m sure," Balthazar said, his tone approaching amused exasperation.

They both looked up as a particularly loud song started playing inside. Pedro recognized it from The Fife and the Drums’ latest album.

Balthazar smiled. “I like this song.”

"Do you want to go back in, then?" Pedro asked a bit reluctantly.

Balthazar must have noticed his reluctance, because he shot Pedro a concerned look. “Do you?”

Pedro sighed. “I dunno. I feel like nobody wants me in there.”

"They’ll come round, though. You’re the most charming person I know."

That statement hit Pedro oddly. He frowned and considered it. “But that’s just the thing, isn’t it? What if everything goes back to normal, and I just make all the same mistakes all over again?”

Balthazar took Pedro’s face in his hands and fixed him with a penetrating stare. “Hey,” he said, “you can’t just stop being yourself, okay? There are good things about who you are, and you can’t just throw that away. You bring out the best in people. You definitely bring out the best in me.”

"…I do?"

Balthazar smiled. “I wouldn’t be playing this gig tomorrow if it weren’t for you.”

Pedro shrugged. “How are you feeling about that, by the way?” he asked, mostly to direct the conversation away from himself.

Balthazar considered this for a moment. “Pretty good, actually.” He laughed. “I’m usually a bundle of nerves by now.”

"I know," Pedro agreed. He’d witnessed this several times.

"But I feel like… I feel like I’ll be okay."

"You’ll be brilliant," Pedro declared, punctuating his statement with a kiss.

"I didn’t need to see that," John’s voice interrupted from the darkness.

"Too bad," Balthazar said, and he kissed Pedro again.

"Ugh, you two are disgusting," John said.

Pedro rolled his eyes. “Hey, bro, what did you need?”

"I think I’m gonna head home. Can I take the car?"

"Actually, you know, I need to rest up for tomorrow," Balthazar said. "I can take you home." He looked up at Pedro. "You gonna be okay here?"

"Yeah," Pedro said, "yeah, I think I’ll go talk to Ben for a while."

"Okay," Balthazar nodded. "See you tomorrow, then?"

"Wouldn’t miss it for the world." They drew in for one last kiss. John pretended to retch into the bushes.

Pedro watched as Balthazar and John walked toward Balth’s car, which was probably parked a good distance down the street, given how late Balthazar had arrived. When, somewhere in the darkness, he heard two car doors open and shut, Pedro decided it was probably time to head back in. He made his way back to the front door, took a deep breath, and opened it, entering again into the bright and noisy world of the ongoing party.


End file.
